Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Samuel Adams graduated from Harvard College in 1740. He worked in private business and as a public employee. In 1764 Adams became involved in politics when he opposed the Sugar Act. The following year, he organized the Sons of Liberty and led the opposition to the Stamp Act. From 1765 until 1774 Adams served in the Massachusetts colonial legislature. A tireless organizer and passionate writer, Adams recruited other influential citizens, including his cousin John Adams, to the Patriot cause. In 1770 Adams led the Patriot response to the Boston Massacre, and in 1773 he planned the Boston Tea Party. From 1774 until 1781 Adams served as a member of the Continental Congress. He later opposed the ratification of the Constitution because he believed that it should include a bill of rights before it was approved. Adams was defeated in the first election for the U.S. House of Representatives. He was elected Massachusetts’s lieutenant governor in 1789 and its governor in 1794. In 1797 he retired to private life.
